Mr Adams announced in November that he was stepping down after 34 years in the role.

A special party conference to ratify a new leader will be held on February 10.

Nominations for the position closed at 5pm on Friday.

Ms McDonald has been a TD for Dublin Central since 2011.

Before getting elected to the Dáil, she was an MEP representing the Dublin constituency - becoming Sinn Fein's first MEP in the Republic of Ireland in 2004.

Many party members have been tweeting their support for Ms McDonald. Fiachra McGuinness, son of the late Martin McGuinness, said his father was a "huge admirer of her ideas, dedication and commitment", and that she was the "ideal candidate to lead Sinn Féin into the future".

The Government is facing fresh claims that it is failing to address spiralling health waiting list delays after a patient was told a hospital could not see him for a neurological condition until at least 2024.